Bridge to Labuan in 2023

LABUAN: The proposed Labuan-Menumbok Bridge linking the island to mainland Sabah is scheduled for completion in 2023, said Labuan MP Datuk Rozman Isli.

The study on the method of implementing the project would be completed in December this year, he said, adding that the project would be implemented soon after.

Rozman, who is Labuan Corporation chairman, told Bernama Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the construction of the bridge on Jan 18 at the launch of the Labuan Development Blueprint 2030.

Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan, in an answer in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday, said the Federal Territories Ministry through the Labuan Corporation had taken immediate action to carry out the implementation study on the bridge.

In Loga Bala’s answer, which was emailed to Bernama today, it was stated that the Federal Territories Ministry and Labuan Corporation were in the process of finalising the appointment of a consultant and, upon completion of the review, a Request for Proposal (RFP) would be provided by the consultant within a period of three months (expected to be by the end of March 2019).

Rozman said the long-awaited bridge would be a game changer that would give a huge positive economic impact to the whole region.

“Big changes will happen not only in Labuan but also Kuala Penyu and Beaufort and nearby Menumbok,” he said.

The federal government had identified the bridge as a key enabler to spur economic development of the island and its surrounding regions.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan had told Bernama that being strategically located, the bridge would leverage on Labuan’s current position as a global and regional centre for international business and finance. – Bernama